Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containment system, in particular, a system that can be mounted within a radome to contain an antenna and communications subsystem mounted on a fuselage of an aircraft and covered by the radome. The present invention also relates to an increased strength radome for covering an antenna and communications subsystem.
Discussion of Related Art
Some related art communication systems for in flight television, internet, telephone and other communication services include an external subassembly that is mounted on an exterior surface of the aircraft, and an internal subassembly that is located within the aircraft, the external and internal subassemblies being communicatively coupled to one another. The external subassembly may comprise an antenna array as well as mounting equipment and steering actuators to move the antenna array in azimuth, elevation and polarization (for example, to track a satellite or other signal source). The external sub-system also comprises a radome to reduce drag force generated by the external subassembly, to protect the external subassembly from the environment and provide a favorable environment for the external subassembly to operate in, and a mounting assembly to mount the radome to the aircraft fuselage. There is a concern, for example from the Federal Aviation Administration, that such external sub-systems may create issues for the aircraft and its passengers should the radome become structurally compromised or even become dislodged from the aircraft fuselage, for example, due to a bird strike.